Hard and soft light module with ambient light sensing

ABSTRACT

The disclosed technology relates to a hard and soft light module having a housing with a first surface that accommodates a lens. A first plurality of LEDs are disposed along a periphery of the first surface, the first plurality of LEDs are configured to generate light in a first direction toward an edge of the lens. A second plurality of LEDs are disposed proximate to the first surface, the second plurality of LEDs are configured to generate light in a second direction through the lens. The first plurality of LEDs are configured to generate a soft light and the second plurality of LEDs are configured to generate a hard light.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S.Non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/830,095, filed Mar. 25,2020, entitled “AMBIENT LIGHT SENSING LIGHTING SYSTEM,” which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. Non-provisional patent application Ser. No.16/359,078, filed Mar. 20, 2019, entitled “AMBIENT LIGHT SENSINGLIGHTING STROBE SYSTEM,” which claims the priority benefit of U.S.Patent Application No. 62/646,375, filed Mar. 22, 2018, entitled“AMBIENT SENSING PHOTO STROBE SYSTEM AND METHOD,” the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to lighting systems, and moreparticularly, to a hard and soft light module with ambient lightsensing.

BACKGROUND

Conventional image capture systems may utilize a light emitting diode(“LED”) to illuminate a subject of a photograph. Such systems, however,typically provide inadequate light in low ambient light environments.Particularly, for small and portable devices, such as smartphonecameras, an LED flash is typically limited to a few watts making theminadequate in low ambient light environments. Conventional strobe orflash lighting systems also lack functionality for accurately matchingthe color of ambient light so that shadows are not of a different colorthan non-shadowed areas in the captured image and so that the subjectwill appear to have uniform tone.

Conventional lighting systems are configured to generate either one of ahard light or soft light. Hard light is characterized as light that hasa projected or throw distance of three yards or more. A downside of hardlight is that it can be harsh to a subject's eyes, causing discomfort,and may create glare or unwanted hot spots. To counter such affects, alight modifier such as a diffusion panel or reflector may be used tosoften the hard light. Systems that generate soft light are capable ofdelivering non-harsh and non-glare lighting without the use of a lightmodifier. Such soft light systems, however, are incapable of projectingor throwing light beyond a foot.

SUMMARY

The disclosed embodiments provide for a hard and soft light module. Thehard and soft light module includes a housing having a first surface toaccommodate a lens. A first plurality of LEDs are disposed along aperiphery of the first surface, the first plurality of LEDs areconfigured to generate light in a first direction toward an edge of thelens. A second plurality of LEDs disposed proximate to the firstsurface, the second plurality of LEDs are configured to generate lightin a second direction through the lens. The first plurality of LEDs areconfigured to generate a soft light and the second plurality of LEDs areconfigured to generate a hard light.

In some embodiments, a method for illuminating a subject using a hardand soft light module is disclosed. The method includes emitting lightfrom a first plurality of LEDs disposed along a periphery of a firstsurface of a housing. The first surface accommodates a lens. The firstplurality of LEDs are configured to generate light in a first directiontoward an edge of the lens. The method further includes emitting lightfrom a second plurality of LEDs disposed proximate to the first surface.The second plurality of LEDs are configured to generate light in asecond direction through the lens. The first plurality of LEDs areconfigured to generate a soft light and the second plurality of LEDs areconfigured to generate a hard light.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments herein may be better understood by referring to thefollowing description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings inwhich like reference numerals indicate identical or functionally similarelements. Understanding that these drawings depict only exemplaryembodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered tobe limiting of its scope, the principles herein are described andexplained with additional specificity and detail through the use of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a lighting strobe systemincorporated within a portable device case, in accordance with variousaspects of the subject technology;

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of a lighting strobe system incorporatedwithin a portable device case, in accordance with various aspects of thesubject technology;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of a lighting strobe system incorporatedwithin a portable device case, in accordance with various aspects of thesubject technology;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a lighting strobe systemremovably attached to a portable device, in accordance with variousaspects of the subject technology;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a lighting strobe systemincorporated on a camera, in accordance with various aspects of thesubject technology;

FIG. 6A illustrates a first perspective view of a dual-facing lightingsystem, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology;

FIG. 6B illustrates a second perspective view of a dual-facing lightingsystem, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology;

FIG. 6C illustrates a perspective view of a hard and soft light module,in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology;

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a lighting strobe system, inaccordance with various aspects of the subject technology;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method for controlling a lighting strobesystem, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology;and

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a system configured for adjusting abrightness and color temperature of light generated by a lighting strobesystem, in accordance with some aspects.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below.While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understoodthat this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled inthe relevant art will recognize that other components and configurationsmay be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Conventional LED strobe or flash lighting systems may be inadequate forilluminating a subject in low ambient light environments. In addition,conventional LED strobe or flash lighting systems may be incapable ofadjusting their color temperature based on the lighting conditions of anenvironment. Color temperature of sunlight varies wildly depending onthe time of day, cloud cover, pollution, weather, season, location, andother environmental factors. Similarly, a color temperature of an indoorenvironment may also vary based on the type of lighting utilized in theroom (e.g., incandescent, fluorescent, etc.), the amount of sunlightentering a space, and other factors that may alter lighting conditionsin an indoor environment. Accordingly, there is a need for an LED strobelighting system that is capable of sensing ambient lighting levels andcolor temperature to intelligently adjust a brightness and colortemperature of a pulse of light generated by the strobe, in order toprovide excellent lighting for capturing still images.

The disclosed technology addresses the foregoing limitations ofconventional LED strobe and flash systems by utilizing an intelligentcolor tunable LED strobe system that is capable of sensing and measuringa lighting level or brightness, as well as color temperature, of ambientlight in an environment to generate a pulse or flash of light toilluminate a subject with sufficient brightness and color to capturesuperior still-images.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a lighting strobe system 100incorporated within a portable device case 102, in accordance withvarious aspects of the subject technology. The lighting strobe system100 is configured to provide sufficient and adequate lighting toilluminate a subject of a still-image or photograph. The lighting strobesystem 100 may provide substantially all of the light used to expose thesubject, provide only fill light to reduce the darkness of shadows fromthe ambient light, or be used to provide an artistic effect, as desired.The lighting strobe system 100 may comprise a plurality of LEDs 104, oneor more lenses 106 for controlling the beam angle of the light emittedby the plurality of LEDs 104, an ambient light sensor 108, and aprocessor (as shown in FIG. 7). In one aspect, the lighting strobesystem 100 may be configured to utilize one or more processors of theportable electronic device to perform one or more of the functionsdescribed further below.

In one example, the plurality of LEDs 104 may comprise RGB+WW LEDs(e.g., Red Green Blue Warm-White). Each LED of the plurality of LEDs 104may comprise a warm-white diode and RGB color diodes. In another aspect,the plurality of LEDs 104 may be configured to output 20-50 Watts andover 3000 lumens using LEDs that emit two or more color temperatures toallow tuning of the color temperature of the light produced by thelighting strobe system 100. In some aspects, the plurality of LEDs 104may have a color rendering index (CRI) greater than 90. The plurality ofLEDs 104 may be surface mount type light emitting diodes.

In another example, the plurality of LEDs 104 may comprise a first arrayof LEDs 105A comprising warm color temperature LEDs having a colortemperature approximating incandescent lighting (e.g., 2400-3600Kelvin), and a second array of LEDs 105B comprising cool colortemperature LEDs having a color temperature approximating daylight(e.g., 5600-7500 Kelvin). Each of the first array and the second arrayof LEDs, 105A and 105B respectively, may be separately driven orpowered, as described below with reference to FIG. 7.

The lighting strobe system 100 may comprise, for example, twelve warmLEDs in the first array of LEDs 105A and twelve cool LEDs in the secondarray of LEDs 105B. The LEDs of the first array and the second array,105A and 105B respectively, may be arranged in an alternatingarrangement wherein a warm LED is disposed between two cool LEDs.Similarly, a cool LED may be disposed between two warm LEDs. Referringto FIG. 1, in another example, the lighting strobe system 100 maycomprise sixteen warm LEDs in the first array of LEDs 105A and sixteencool LEDs in the second array of LEDs 105B. The LEDs of the first arrayand the second array, 105A and 105B respectively, may be arranged in analternating checkerboard arrangement wherein a first warm LED isfollowed by a first cool LED, which is then followed by a second warmLED, which is then followed by a second cool LED. It is understood thatthe number of warm and cool LEDs of the first array and the secondarray, 105A and 105B respectively, may be any number, as desired. It isalso understood that the plurality of LEDs 104 may be arranged invarying arrangements, shapes, and arrays, without departing from thescope of the invention. In some aspects, arranging the warm and coolLEDs of the first array 105A and the second array 105B in acheckerboard-like pattern causes the emitted light to be mixed tothereby generate and emit light of a homogenous color temperature whenan intermediate color temperature is selected.

The plurality of LEDs 104 may be mounted on a circuit board coated witha neutral color, such as white, silver, gray, or black, and of amaterial having some reflective properties so that light that isreflected back from the lens 106 will be reflected toward the lens 106.In one example, the lens 106 may comprise a single lens disposed infront of the LEDs 104 to control the beam angle of the light emitted bythe plurality of LEDs 104. In another example, the lens 106 may comprisemultiple lenses that capture and focus the light emitted by each LED ora grouping of LEDs.

The ambient light sensor 108 may be configured to measure a brightnessof ambient light surrounding the lighting strobe system 100. In oneaspect, the ambient light sensor 108 may be configured to detect a pulseof light from an external pulse of light, strobe or flash so that andwhen detected, the lighting strobe system 100 is configured to emit apulse of light such that the lighting strobe system 100 operates in a“slave” mode. In another aspect, the ambient light sensor 108 may beconfigured to measure a color temperature of ambient light surroundingthe lighting strobe system 100.

In one aspect, the lighting strobe system 100 may be powered by aninternal battery 110 (as shown in FIG. 3) disposed within the case thatis configured to provide electrical power to the lighting strobe system100. In another aspect, the internal battery 110 may also be configuredto provide additional power to a portable electronic device 150 disposedwithin the case 102. In yet another aspect, the lighting strobe system100 may be configured to be powered by the portable electronic device150. The internal battery 110 may be a rechargeable battery or secondarycell, such as a lithium ion battery. In one aspect, the lighting strobesystem 100 may comprise a charging port that is configured to charge theinternal battery 110 and the portable electronic device 150,simultaneously. When a charge of the internal battery 110 is full, thelighting strobe system 100 may be configured to direct additional chargeprovided to the charging port to the portable electronic device 150until a battery of the portable electronic device 150 is full.

The lighting strobe system 100 may be housed within the case 102 that isconfigured to receive the portable electronic device 150, such as amobile phone, smartphone, or tablet. For example, the case 102 maysubstantially cover a rear surface of the portable electronic device 150(as shown in FIG. 1) and surround a periphery of a front surface of theportable electronic device 150 (as shown in FIG. 2). The plurality ofLEDs 104 may be disposed proximate to a camera lens or shutter 152. Thecase 102 may be a unitary case, comprised of a single component, or maybe formed of a plurality of components that are configured to attach orcouple together to surround the portable electronic device 150.

The case 102 may include one or more buttons 112 that are eachconfigured to receive user input for operation of the lighting strobesystem 100. For example, a power or multi-button 112 may be disposed ona lower portion of the case 102 that when depressed, may power on orpower off the lighting strobe system 100. The multi-button 112 may alsobe configured to facilitate pairing with the portable electronic device150 when depressed for a short period of time. The multi-button 112 mayalso be configured to cause the plurality of LEDs 104 to emit ahigh-brightness light (e.g., flashlight or continuous light) whendepressed once, or a low-brightness light (e.g., flashlight orcontinuous light) when depressed twice. In other aspects, themulti-button 112 may be configured to control operations of the lightingstrobe system 100 based on a duration of a depression. For example, themulti-button 112 may be configured to cause the internal battery 110 ofthe case 102 to charge the portable electronic device 150 when depressedfor a duration of two seconds. In another example, the multi-button 112may be configured to power off the lighting strobe system 100 whendepressed for a duration of four seconds.

In another aspect, the case may have a button disposed on an upperportion of the case 102 to control operation of the plurality of LEDs104. For example, a button 112B (as shown in FIG. 2) may be disposedproximate to the plurality of LEDs 104 to control a brightness of lightemitted by the plurality of LEDs 104. In this example, when depressedfor an elongated period of time, the plurality of LEDs 104 may cyclefrom bright to dim, and vice versa.

In some aspects, the case 102 may also include one or more indicators114 that are configured to indicate to a user a status of the lightingstrobe system 100. For example, the case 102 may include a firstindicator comprising a multi-color LED that may emit a red-colored lightto indicate to the user that the lighting strobe system 100 is poweredon. The first indicator may also be configured to emit a blue-coloredlight to inform the user that the lighting strobe system 100 is chargingor ready for pairing with the portable electronic device 150. As anotherexample, the case 102 may comprise four or more indicators that areconfigured to inform a user a level of charge remaining in the internalbattery. In this example, if there are four LED indicators, eachilluminated indicator represents a charging capacity of 25%. It isunderstood that other colors and operating conditions may be conveyed tothe user by modifying the color and/or illumination duration and pattern(e.g., solid light, blinking, phased in, phased out, etc.) of the one ormore indicators.

The case 102 may also include one or more apertures 116 to facilitateoperation of the portable electronic device 150. For example, the case102 may include a camera lens aperture 116A to allow a camera 152 of theportable electronic device 150 to operate without obstruction. The case102 may also include apertures 116B to allow a user to activate one ormore buttons of the portable electronic device. In another example, thecase may include one or more speaker apertures 116C to allow sound to beconveyed to the user (as shown in FIG. 2) or one or more microphoneapertures to allow sound to be captured from the user.

In one aspect, the lighting strobe system 100 may be synchronized to ashutter of a camera of the portable electronic device 150 via a wirelessconnection, such as an RF, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wireless connectionas would be known by a person of ordinary skill. In other aspects, thelighting strobe system 100 may be operated through use of an applicationand/or processor running on the portable electronic device 150. Forexample, the application may be used to control certain parameters ofthe lighting strobe system 100, such as synchronization characteristics(e.g., creation of groups to control and synch multiple lighting strobesystems 100 together to enable multiple lighting strobe systems 100 toemit a pulse of light simultaneously, synchronization of a pulse oflight emitted by the lighting strobe system 100 based on a shutter of acamera, etc.), adjust settings of the lighting strobe system 100 (e.g.,default settings, brightness, color temperature between warm and cool,strobe duration, plus or minus f-stop adjustment, timer to flash, ISOsettings, shutter speed, etc.), control available presets of thelighting strobe system 100 that affect the color temperature andbrightness of the light emitted by the plurality of LEDs 104 (e.g.,candle, sunset, tropical, day, artic, etc.), select operational modes(e.g., selfie mode in which the lighting strobe system emits continuouslight, flash mode in which the lighting strobe system emits a flash,photobooth mode in which the lighting strobe system emits more than oneflash in a sequence to facilitate the capture of a series ofstill-images, etc.).

In another aspect, the lighting strobe system 100 may be configured tooperate using voice commands. For example, the processor of the lightingstrobe system 100 may be directly or indirectly connected to a processorand microphone of the portable electronic device 150 to enable voicecommands to control the operation of the plurality of LEDs 104. Thevoice commands may control the intensity or brightness of the pluralityof LEDs 104, the color temperature of the plurality of LEDs 104 andoperational modes (e.g., flash, selfie, flashlight, etc.).

In another aspect, the lighting strobe system 100 may be configured toutilize an ambient light sensor of the portable electronic device 150 todetect a brightness or intensity of the ambient light and/or the colortemperature of the ambient light. For example, the lighting strobesystem 100 may utilize wireless connection (e.g., RF, WiFi, Bluetooth)to receive data from the ambient light sensor of the portable electronicdevice 150 representing ambient light brightness/intensity and/or colortemperature.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a front and side view, respectively, of thelighting strobe system 100 incorporated within the portable device case102, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology. Inone aspect, a portion of the plurality of LEDs 104 may be disposed on arear facing surface of the case (as shown in FIG. 1) and a remainingportion of the plurality of LEDs 104B may be disposed on a front facingsurface of the case 102 (as shown in FIG. 2). In one aspect, theremaining portion of the plurality of LEDs 104B on the front facingsurface of the case may be disposed on an upper portion of the case 102along a periphery of the case 102. In some aspects, the remainingportion of the plurality of LEDs 104B on the front facing surface of thecase may comprise RGB+WW LEDs or a plurality of warm and cool LEDs. Forexample, the plurality of LEDs 104B may include two warm LEDs 105A andtwo cool LEDs 105B, arranged along a linear array and disposed at outerends of the array. The two warm LEDs 105A and the two cool LEDs 105B maybe arranged on the linear array in an alternating arrangement wherein ata left-most position, a first warm LED is disposed, followed by a firstcool LED, followed by a second warm LED, with a second cool LED disposedat a right-most position. In other aspects, the remaining portion of theplurality of LEDs 104B on the front facing surface of the case maycomprise three warm LEDs 105A and three cool LEDs 105B. It is understoodthat the number of warm and cool LEDs, 105A and 105B respectively, ofthe remaining portion of the plurality of LEDs 104B on the front facingsurface of the case 102 may be any number, as desired. It is alsounderstood that the LEDs of the remaining portion of the plurality ofLEDs 104B on the front facing surface of the case 102 may be arranged invarying arrangements, shapes, and arrays, without departing from thescope of the invention.

The lighting strobe system 100 may be configured to continuously outputlight from the remaining portion of the plurality of LEDs 104B on thefront facing surface of the case 102 to provide constant illumination ona subject during a video capture session. In another aspect, thelighting strobe system 100 may be configured to continuously outputlight from the portion of the plurality of LEDs 104 on the rear facingsurface of the case 102 to provide constant illumination during a videocapture session. In yet another aspect, the lighting strobe system 100may be configured to output a pulse of light from the remaining portionof the plurality of LEDs 104B on the front facing surface of the case102 to illuminate a subject for a still-image capture or photograph. Inyet another aspect, the lighting strobe system 100 may be configured tooutput a pulse of light from the portion of the plurality of LEDs 104 onthe rear facing surface of the case 102 to illuminate a subject for astill-image capture or photograph.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a lighting strobe system 200removably attached to a portable device 250, in accordance with variousaspects of the subject technology. Similar reference numerals refer tosimilar or identical structure to the lighting strobe system 100. Thelighting strobe system 200 comprises a housing 202, a plurality of LEDs204 directed toward the front of housing 202, one or more lenses 206 forcontrolling the beam angle of the light emitted by the plurality of LEDs204, and an ambient light sensor 208 to detect and measurecharacteristics of the ambient light, such as brightness or intensityand color temperature. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the lightingstrobe system 200 may utilize about 60 LEDs that are configured to emittwo or more color temperatures to allow tuning of the color temperatureof the light produced by the lighting strobe system 200.

The housing 202 may comprise an attachment mechanism 218 for mounting tothe portable electronic device 250, which may be a smartphone. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 4, the attachment mechanism 218 may be aspring-loaded clip that is configured to attach to a periphery of theportable electronic device 250. In another example, the attachmentmechanism 218 may comprise a slip cover that is configured to slide overthe portable electronic device. In yet another example, the attachmentmechanism 218 may comprise a magnet that is configured to magneticallyengage the portable electronic device 250. In yet another example, theattachment mechanism 218 may comprise an adhesive or hook and loopfabric that is configured to bond to the portable electronic device 250.Other attachment mechanisms 218 are contemplated without departing fromthe scope of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a lighting strobe system 300incorporated on a camera 350, in accordance with various aspects of thesubject technology. Similar reference numerals refer to similar oridentical structure to the lighting strobe system 100. In one aspect,the lighting strobe system 300 may be configured to be mounted to orincorporated within a camera, such as a digital single lens reflexcamera 350 (“DSLR”), a single lens reflex camera, a point-and-shootstyle camera, or the like. The lighting strobe system 300 comprises ahousing 302, a plurality of LEDs 304 directed toward the front ofhousing 302, one or more lenses 306 for controlling the beam angle ofthe light emitted by the plurality of LEDs 304, and an ambient lightsensor 308 to detect and measure characteristics of the ambient light,such as brightness or intensity and color temperature. In anotheraspect, the lens 306 may be configured to receive a gel such as acolored filter or diffusion material. The lighting strobe system 300 mayalso comprise a shoe adapter for attachment to the camera 350. The shoeadaptor may comprise one or more electrical contacts to synchronize thelighting strobe system 300 to a shutter. In another aspect, the lightingstrobe system 300 may be configured to use a sync cord for connection tothe camera 350 to synchronize the lighting strobe system 300 with theshutter.

In some aspects, the housing 302 may comprise an attachment mechanismdisposed on a lower portion of the housing 302, such as a threadedsocket, for attachment to a ball head or shoe adapter, a tripod orlighting stand adapter, or to receive an accessory such as a multi-lightbracket, external battery pack, or the like. In another aspect, thehousing 302 may comprise a magnet disposed on a rear surface tofacilitate attachment to metal surfaces as desired.

In some aspects, the lighting strobe system 300 may utilize a userinterface 320 to receive user input to operate the lighting strobesystem 300. For example, referring to FIG. 5, the user interface 320 maycomprise a plurality of buttons that are configured to controloperations of the lighting strobe system 300. The user interface 320 maybe disposed on an upper portion of the housing 302 and may include apower button for turning the lighting strobe system 300 on and off;brightness controls for adjusting the intensity of the light, both in acontinuous mode or during a flash; color temperature control for RGB+WWLEDs or for crossfading between the first and second arrays of LEDs,150A and 150B, respectively, and an LCD or OLED display 322 fordisplaying the selected color temperature and/or a numerical indicationof an intensity/brightness. The lighting strobe system 300 may alsocomprise a port 324 for charging an internal battery and/or programmingcertain features of the lighting strobe system 300.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate perspective views of a dual-facing lightingsystem 300B, in accordance with various aspects of the subjecttechnology. Similar reference numerals refer to similar or identicalstructure to the lighting strobe system 100. The dual-facing lightingsystem 300B provides a soft light along a first direction and a hardlight along a second direction, from a single housing 302B by using afirst plurality of LEDs 304A to generate light along the first directionand a second plurality of LEDs 304B to generate light along the seconddirection. The dual-facing lighting system 300B comprises the housing302B having a first surface 303A and a second surface 303B that isopposite the first surface 303A. The dual-facing lighting system 300B isthus capable of generating both a hard light and a soft light withoutrequiring use of a separate light modifier. The first plurality of LEDs304A are disposed proximate to the first surface 303A. The firstplurality of LEDs 304A are configured to generate a soft light in thefirst direction. For example, the first plurality of LEDs 304A areconfigured to emit light having a color temperature of 2400 Kelvin to4000 Kelvin, and to project light at a distance of 1 foot to 2 feet. Inone aspect, the first plurality of LEDs 304A may be disposed along aperiphery of a first lens 306A. In this arrangement, the first pluralityof LEDs 304A are configured emit light along an edge of the first lens306A to thereby illuminate the lens and to generate the soft light. Thefirst lens 306A may comprise a frosted material that is configured toilluminate when lit from an edge, such as acrylic.

The second plurality of LEDs 304B are disposed proximate to the secondsurface 303B. The second plurality of LEDs 304B are configured togenerate a hard light in the second direction that is opposite the firstdirection. For example, the second plurality of LEDs 304B are configuredto emit light having a color temperature of 4000 Kelvin to 8000 Kelvin,and to project light at a distance of 6 feet to 12 feet. The secondplurality of LEDs 304B may be arranged behind a second lens 306B thatmay be configured focus light emitted by the second plurality of LEDs304B in the second direction. In one example, the second lens 306B maycomprise a single lens disposed in front of the second plurality of LEDs304B to control the beam angle of the light emitted by the secondplurality of LEDs 304B. In another example, the second lens 306B maycomprise multiple lenses that capture and focus the light emitted byeach LED or a grouping of LEDs.

Each of the first and second plurality of LEDs, 304A and 304Brespectively, may comprise an array of LEDs having varying colortemperatures or RGB+WW LEDs, as discussed above. The first and secondplurality of LEDs, 304A and 304B respectively, may be mounted onrespective circuit boards coated with a neutral color, such as white,silver, gray, or black, and of a material having some reflectiveproperties so that any light that is reflected toward the circuit boardis reflected back toward the first lens 306A or second lens 306B.

The dual-facing lighting system 300B may also comprise the ambient lightsensor 308 to detect and measure characteristics of the ambient light,such as brightness or intensity and color temperature. As discussedbelow, a processor may be configured to receive an output from theambient light sensor 308 and adjust, based on the output, at least oneof an intensity and color temperature of the first plurality of LEDs304A and/or the second plurality of LEDs 304B.

In some aspects, the dual-facing lighting system 300B may utilize theuser interface 320 to receive user input to operate the dual-facinglighting system 300B. For example, referring to FIG. 6A, the userinterface 320 may comprise a plurality of buttons that are configured tocontrol operations of the dual-facing lighting system 300B. The userinterface 320 may be disposed on an upper portion of the housing 302Band may include a power button for turning the dual-facing lightingsystem 300B on and off; brightness controls for adjusting the intensityof the light, both in a continuous mode or during a flash; and/or colortemperature control. The dual-facing lighting system 300B may alsocomprise the port 324 (e.g., USB port, USB-C port, etc.) for charging aninternal battery and/or programming certain features of the dual-facinglighting system 300B.

In one aspect, the dual-facing lighting system 300B may be powered by aninternal battery disposed within the housing 302B that is configured toprovide electrical power to the dual-facing lighting system 300B. Theinternal battery may be a rechargeable battery or secondary cell, suchas a lithium ion battery.

FIG. 6C illustrates a perspective view of a hard and soft light module300C, in accordance with various aspects of the subject technology.Similar reference numerals refer to similar or identical structure tothe lighting strobe system 100. The hard and soft light module 300C isconfigured to illuminate a subject with a soft light and/or hard lightby illuminating an edge of a lens 306C to generate a soft light using afirst plurality of LEDs 304A, or by emitting light through the lens togenerate a hard light using a second plurality of LEDs 304B. The lens306C may comprise a frosted lens disposed proximal to a first surface303C of a housing 302C. The first surface 303C may accommodate the lens306C by, for example, providing a lip or recess for the lens 306C to beinstalled.

The first plurality of LEDs 304A are disposed along a periphery of thefirst surface 303C. The first plurality of LEDs 304A are configured togenerate a soft light in a first direction toward an edge of the lens306C. For example, the first plurality of LEDs 304A are configured toemit light having a color temperature of 2400 Kelvin to 4000 Kelvin, andto project light at a distance of 1 foot to 2 feet. In one aspect, thefirst plurality of LEDs 304A may be disposed along a periphery of thelens 306C. In this arrangement, the first plurality of LEDs 304A areconfigured emit light along an edge of the lens 306C to therebyilluminate the lens 306C and to generate the soft light. The lens 306Cmay comprise a frosted material that is configured to illuminate whenlit from an edge, such as acrylic.

The second plurality of LEDs 304B are disposed on recessed surface 305that is proximate to the first surface 303C. The second plurality ofLEDs 304B are configured to generate a hard light in a second directionthrough the lens 306C. The second direction is different from the firstdirection, and may, for example, be perpendicular or orthogonal to thefirst direction (e.g., first direction is along edge of lens 306C andthe second direction is through the lens 306C). The second plurality ofLEDs 304B may be configured to emit light having a color temperature of4000 Kelvin to 8000 Kelvin, and to project light at a distance of 6 feetto 12 feet. The second plurality of LEDs 304B are arranged behind thelens 306C and are configured to emit light through the lens 306C. Thehard and soft light module 300C is thus capable of generating both ahard light and a soft light without requiring use of a separate lightmodifier.

Each of the first and second plurality of LEDs, 304A and 304Brespectively, may comprise an array of LEDs having varying colortemperatures or RGB+WW LEDs, as discussed above. The first and secondplurality of LEDs, 304A and 304B respectively, may be mounted onrespective circuit boards coated with a neutral color, such as white,silver, gray, or black, and of a material having some reflectiveproperties so that any light that is reflected toward the circuit boardis reflected back toward the lens 306C.

The hard and soft light module 300C may also comprise the ambient lightsensor 308 to detect and measure characteristics of the ambient light,such as brightness or intensity and color temperature. As discussedbelow, a processor may be configured to receive an output from theambient light sensor 308 and adjust, based on the output, at least oneof an intensity and color temperature of the first plurality of LEDs304A and/or the second plurality of LEDs 304B.

In some aspects, the hard and soft light module 300C may utilize theuser interface 320 to receive user input to operate the hard and softlight module 300C. For example, the user interface 320 may comprise aplurality of buttons that are configured to control operations of thehard and soft light module 300C. The user interface 320 may be disposedon an upper portion of the housing 302C and may include a power buttonfor turning the hard and soft light module 300C on and off; brightnesscontrols for adjusting the intensity of the light, both in a continuousmode or during a flash; and/or color temperature control. The hard andsoft light module 300C may also comprise the port 324 (e.g., USB port,USB-C port, etc.) for charging an internal battery and/or programmingcertain features of the hard and soft light module 300C.

In one aspect, the hard and soft light module 300C may be powered by aninternal battery disposed within the housing 302C that is configured toprovide electrical power to the hard and soft light module 300C. Theinternal battery may be a rechargeable battery or secondary cell, suchas a lithium ion battery.

It is understood that while the lighting strobe systems 100, 200, 300,300B and 300C have been described above as a component of a case,stand-alone light, or integrated with an electronic device, the lightingstrobe systems 100, 200, 300, 300B and 300C should not be limited to theabove-described embodiments and numerous modifications fall within thespirit and scope of the subject technology.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a lighting strobe system 400, inaccordance with various aspects of the subject technology. Similarreference numerals refer to similar or identical structure to thelighting strobe system 100. The lighting strobe system 400 comprises aplurality of LEDs 404 (which may comprise an array of LEDs, such as afirst array of LEDs 405A, a second array of LEDs 405B), an LED driver403 for independently controlling the brightness of the first arrayand/or the second array of LEDs, 405A and 405B respectively, an ambientlight sensor 408 for measuring one or more characteristics of theambient light in the environment surrounding the lighting strobe system400, a communications module 409 for communicating with or connecting toa camera or a portable electronic device, a battery 410 for powering thelighting strobe system 400, and a processor 411 for managing thefunction and operations of the lighting strobe system 400. The battery410 may be managed by a battery management system 413 that is configuredto provide regulated voltage to other electronic components of thelighting strobe system 400 and manage charging of the battery 410. It isunderstood that one or more functions of the processor 411 may beperformed by one or more processors of a paired portable electronicdevice, such as a camera, smartphone, or tablet. It is also understoodthat one or more of the components of the lighting strobe system 400 maybe shared with a paired portable electronic device.

In one example, the plurality of LEDs 404 may comprise RGB+WW LEDs. Inanother example, the plurality of LEDs 404 may comprise an array ofLEDs, such as the first array of LEDs 405A and the second array of LEDs405B. The first array of LEDs 405A may emit light at a relatively warmcolor temperature typically in a range from 2400 Kelvin to 4000 Kelvin.The second array of LEDs 405B may emit light at a relatively cool colortemperature typically in a range from 4000 Kelvin to 8000 Kelvin.

The ambient light sensor 408 may be configured to measure an intensity(or brightness) and color temperature of the ambient light in theenvironment surrounding the lighting strobe system 400. In one example,the ambient light sensor 408 may be disposed proximate to the pluralityof LEDs 404 to measure ambient lighting conditions from the perspectiveof the plurality of LEDs 404. In another example, the ambient lightsensor 408 may be disposed within an image path within a housing so thatthe data from the ambient light sensor 408 is limited to either thecaptured frame or a portion of the captured frame, regardless of aselected lens.

In one aspect, the ambient light sensor 408 is configured to detect andmeasure three or more color bands of ambient light surrounding thelighting strobe system 400. The ambient light sensor 408 may beconfigured to detect and output data representing Red, Green, and Blueintensities of light. The detected values may be converted to CIE x-yvalues using a lookup table based on the ratio of Red over Blue, orother means of compensating for cross sensitivity of the individualcolor sensors. In one aspect, the lookup values may be adjusted toaccount for a degree to which Green varies from a reference value. Theresulting data may then be converted to a color temperature usingMcCamy's polynomial formula for correlated color temperature (CCT):CCT=449*n³+3525*n²+6823.3*n+5520.33, where n=(x−0.3320)/(0.1858−y). Theprocessor 411 may be configured to receive and process data from theambient light sensor 408 (e.g., Red, Green, and Blue intensities) and toprocess the data to determine CIE x-y values, color temperature, or anycombination thereof. The ambient light sensor 408 may be configured todetect and output data representing an intensity of light, by forexample, summing the Red, Green, and Blue registers. Intensity data maybe supplied to the processor 411 as raw data, lux, foot candles, ev, orany combination of such values.

In some aspects, the ambient light sensor 408 may be used to calibratethe color temperature of light produced by the plurality of LEDs 404.For example, light emitted by the plurality of LEDs 404 may be directedto a white card, a diffuser, or other reflective surface to reflect aportion of the emitted light toward the ambient light sensor 408. In oneexample, the processor 411 may be configured to activate the pluralityof LEDs 404 to output a known color temperature via the LED driver 403.In another example, the processor 411 may be configured to activateindependently, the first array and the second array of LEDs, 405A and405B respectively, via the LED driver 403. The ambient light sensor 408may then be utilized to detect and measure a color temperature for theplurality of LEDs 404 or each of the first array and second array ofLEDs, 405A and 405B respectively, and send data representing thedetected color temperature to the processor 411 for comparison withstored values. In one example, the processor 411 may cause the LEDdriver 403 to power the plurality of LEDs 404 or to individually powerthe first array and the second array of LEDs, 405A and 405Brespectively, through a series of preset ratios (e.g., brightness foreach of the first and second array of LEDs ranging from 0-100% in 10%increments), while also receiving data from the ambient light sensor 408regarding the detected intensity and/or color temperature at eachpreset. For example, for a preset of 1, each of the first array and thesecond array is at 100%. For a preset of ½, the first array is at 50%and the second array is at 100%. For a preset of 2, the first array isat 100% and the second array is at 50%. The detected color temperaturefor each of the first array and the second array of LEDs, 405A and 405Brespectively, is stored in nonvolatile memory. To calibrate the colortemperature produced by the first array and the second array of LEDs,405A and 405B respectively, the processor 411 may be configured to readand compare the detected color temperatures for each of the first arrayand the second array of LEDs, 405A and 405B respectively, and comparethe detected values to previously stored color temperature valuesassociated for each preset ratio. If the processor 411 detects adifference between a detected value and a stored value, the processor411 may be configured to adjust the LED driver 403 to account for thedifference in value between the detected value and the stored value.

In one aspect, the processor 411 is configured to receive and use themeasured intensity and color temperature of the ambient light from theambient light sensor 408 to intelligently set a proportional brightnessof the plurality of LEDs 404 or the first and second arrays of LEDs,405A and 405B respectively, that is appropriate for the ambientconditions of the environment, as discussed further below.

The processor 411 may also be configured to communicate with a pairedportable electronic device or camera via the communications module 409,via a wireless signal, such as through Bluetooth, Wifi, Zigbee, Z-Wave,and other suitable wireless schemes. In one aspect, the communicationsmodule 409 may include a Bluetooth interface for communication with theportable electronic device to allow a user to set a flash brightness,color temperature, duration, or other settings, and to overrideautomatic settings when desired. In some aspects, the communicationsmodule 409 provides a bi-directional communication pathway between thelighting strobe system 400 and the portable electronic device that mayenable an application, for example, running on the portable electronicdevice to interface with the lighting strobe system 400. For example,the communications module 409 may provide information about theenvironment and information about a camera of the portable electronicdevice (e.g., such as shutter speed, ISO, aperture and focal length,zoom, brightness, or other information that may be captured by theportable electronic device and that may be useful in optimizing exposurefor a particular artistic effect) to the processor 411 for controlling abrightness or intensity, color temperature, or flash duration of lightemitted by the plurality of LEDs 404. In one aspect, the information ordata provided to the processor 411 from the communications module 409and the portable electronic device may be compared to the information ordata provided to the processor 411 by the ambient light sensor 408 todetermine the appropriate brightness and/or color temperature settingsfor the plurality of LEDs 404. For example, for human subjects theprocessor 411 may be configured to adjust the color temperature of apulse of light or flash emitted by the plurality of LEDs 404 to be warmso that skin tones appear warm and more pleasant to the user. In anotherexample, if the environment is heavily backlit, the processor 411 may beconfigured to increase an output voltage of a boost regulator 415 toincrease an intensity or brightness of the pulse of light or flashgenerated by the plurality of LEDs 404. In yet another example, theprocessor 411 may be configured to read the data received from theambient light sensor 408 to adjust the intensity and/or colortemperature of a pulse of light or flash generated by the plurality ofLEDs 404 to recreate a “studio” look for portrait photographs. In otheraspects, the processor 411 communicates with the battery managementsystem 413 to minimize drain on the battery 410 depending on the needsof the lighting strobe system 400.

In one aspect, the lighting strobe system 400 may utilize a boostregulator 415 to increase a voltage to a level that is sufficient todrive or operate the plurality of LEDs 404 or the first array and thesecond array of LEDs, 405A and 405B respectively. In one aspect, theprocessor 411 is configured to calculate a current for each of the firstarray and second array of LEDs, 405A and 405B respectively, to determinea minimum amount of voltage required to ensure that the boost regulator415 provides the proper voltage to the first array and second array ofLEDs, 405A and 405B respectively.

The LED driver 403 may be configured to control an intensity orbrightness of plurality of LEDs 404. For example, the LED driver 403 maybe configured to control an intensity or brightness of each of the firstarray and the second array of LEDs, individually. The LED driver 403 maycomprise a digital to analog converter 417 that has a pair of outputs419 and 421, each individually controllable, connected to variablecurrent sources 423 and 425, respectively, to set the drive current foreach of the first array and the second array of LEDs, 405A and 405Brespectively, thus making the brightness of each array independentlycontrollable by the processor 411. The LED driver 403 is coupled to thefirst array of LEDs 405A to provide a selectable drive current to thefirst array of LEDs 405A. The LED driver 403 is also coupled to thesecond array of LEDs 405B to provide a selectable drive current to thesecond array of LEDs 405B.

In another aspect, the lighting strobe system 400 may utilize athermistor 427 to provide LED temperature feedback to the processor 411.The thermistor 427 may provide data representing temperature of theplurality of LEDs 404 to the processor 411 to enable the processor 411to intelligently set an output voltage of the boost regulator 415 to anoptimal value. In another aspect, the temperature of the plurality ofLEDs 404 may be used by the processor 411 to reduce voltage or power tothe plurality of LEDs 404 when a temperature of the plurality of LEDs404 reaches a predetermined maximum threshold.

The lighting strobe system 400 may further comprise a sync circuit 429that is configured to receive a sync input from an external device, suchas a camera, smartphone, or portable electronic device, to trigger apulse of light to be emitted from the plurality of LEDs 404. The synccircuit 429, may for example, be connected to the processor 411 totrigger a flash of light from the plurality of LEDs 404 in response tothe sync signal. The sync signal may be generated when a shutter of acamera is fully open, partially open, begins to open, or other timingsequences as would be known by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Inone aspect, the processor 411 may be configured to accommodate a varietyof sync inputs.

In operation, the communications module 409 may provide a communicationpathway between the processor 411 of the lighting strobe system 400 anda portable electronic device having a camera. A user may controlfunctions, settings or operations of the lighting strobe system 400through an application running on the portable electronic device. Theportable electronic device may comprise a user interface, such as atouchscreen and display, to solicit and receive input from the user. Theuser interface may allow the user to select a particular colortemperature and/or brightness for a pulse of light or flash to beemitted by the plurality of LEDs 404. The settings and preferences maythen be communicated or relayed to the processor 411 via thecommunications module 409. Based on detection of a sync input from thesync circuit 429, the processor 411 may cause the plurality of LEDs 404to emit a pulse of light or flash at the selected color temperatureand/or brightness.

By way of example and without limiting the scope of the subjecttechnology, on powering up the lighting strobe system 400, the processor411 of the lighting strobe system 400 may enter a sleep mode and waitfor an event to awaken the processor 411. Such an event may be aperiodic timer, a user input received from the user, a sync input, orvoice command. Once awaken, the processor 411 may be configured todetermine what caused the event and may, for example, read input buttonsto see if one was pushed, and may check with the communications module409 to see if a paired portable electronic device wishes to communicate.

The processor 411 may be configured to determine what operation mode hasbeen selected by the user. For example, an operation mode may beselected by subsequent button pushes of the multi-button describedabove, via an application running on the paired portable electronicdevice, or a voice command. In one example, the operational modes mayinclude a pulse/flash mode or a continuous light mode. Upon entering theflash mode the processor 411 periodically reads the ambient light sensor408 to determine the color temperature of the ambient light in theenvironment. In response, the processor 411 may calculate a ratiobetween the first array and the second array of LEDs, 405A and 405Brespectively, in order to achieve a color temperature for the flash thatis substantially similar to the color temperature of the ambient lightin the environment. In another example, the processor 411 may controlthe color temperature of RGB+WW LEDs, in order to achieve a colortemperature for the flash that is substantially similar to the colortemperature of the ambient light in the environment. The processor 411may also be configured to read the ambient light sensor 408 to determinethe intensity or brightness of the ambient light in the environment andin response, calculates an intensity for the flash and adjusts theoutput voltage of the boost regulator 415 to obtain a voltage that isrequired to achieve the desired flash. Upon receiving a command togenerate the pulse of light or flash, the processor 411 causes theplurality of LEDs 404 to emit a pulse of light at the determined colortemperature and intensity.

In one aspect, the processor 411 may be configured to receive additionaldata or information from a paired electronic device to adjust the colortemperature and/or intensity of light generated by the plurality of LEDs404. For example, the processor 411 may receive exposure informationfrom the paired electronic device and may use the received exposureinformation to calculate a distance to a subject for use in determiningan amount of intensity for a pulse of light to be generated by theplurality of LEDs 404. In another aspect, the processor 411 may also beconfigured to compare the amount of intensity calculated based on theexposure information with the amount of intensity calculated based onthe level of intensity detected by the ambient light sensor 408 todetermine if the subject is likely backlit, front lit, or top lit. Inresponse, the processor 411 may be configured to calculate the amount oflight or intensity needed to augment the ambient lighting conditions andas a result, adjusts the output voltage of the boost regulator 415 toobtain a voltage that is required to achieve the desired light forilluminating the subject. For example, if the processor 411 determinesthat the subject is backlit, the processor 411 may increase the outputvoltage. In another example, if the subject is front lit, the processormay reduce the output voltage.

In the continuous light mode, the processor 411 causes the plurality ofLEDs 404 to emit a light for a continuous duration. The processor 411may also be configured to periodically (e.g., every 1 second, every 5seconds, every 10 seconds, etc.) read the ambient light sensor 408 todetermine the color temperature of the ambient light in the environmentand adjust the intensity and/or color temperature of light emitted bythe plurality of LEDs 404 to maintain consistent illumination of asubject regardless of changing ambient light conditions. The processor411 may calculate a ratio between the first array and the second arrayof LEDs, 405A and 405B respectively, in order to achieve a colortemperature for the continuous light that is substantially similar tothe color temperature of the ambient light in the environment, orotherwise desired. In another example, the processor 411 may control thecolor temperature of RGB+WW LEDs in order to achieve a color temperaturefor the continuous light that is substantially similar to the colortemperature of the ambient light in the environment, or otherwisedesired. The processor 411 may also be configured to read the ambientlight sensor 408 to determine the intensity or brightness of the ambientlight in the environment and in response, calculates an intensity forthe continuous light and adjusts the output voltage of the boostregulator 415 to obtain a voltage that is required to achieve thedesired light for illuminating a subject or object.

In some aspects, the processor 411 may be configured to receiveintensity and color temperature settings from the paired portableelectronic device via the communications module 409. In another aspect,the processor 411 may be configured to select a default intensity andcolor temperature setting if there is no setting provided by the user orpaired portable electronic device. The default color temperature may,for example, be set by sending an equal amount of current to each of thefirst array and second array of LEDs, 405A and 405B respectively.Sending equal amounts of current to each of the first array and secondarray of LEDs, 405A and 405B respectively, may conserve battery power.

In other aspects, the processor 411 may be configured to adjust anintensity and/or color temperature for the plurality of LEDs 404 basedon user input. For example, a user may adjust the intensity and colortemperature of the plurality of LEDs 404 by depressing one more inputbuttons, interfacing with an application running on a paired portableelectronic device, or conveying voice commands. In one example, a userselectable intensity or brightness setting may be adjusted based on anumber of times a button is pressed, or adjusted based on input from theuser via a pair of up and down arrows. In response, the processor 411modifies the ratio of voltage and/or current to be supplied to theplurality of LEDs 404 or first array and the second array of LEDs, 405Aand 405B respectively, and causes the LED driver 403 to adjust theoutput of variable current sources 423 and 425.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method 500 for controlling a lightingstrobe system, in accordance with various aspects of the subjecttechnology. It should be understood that, for any process discussedherein, there can be additional, fewer, or alternative steps performedin similar or alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope ofthe various aspects unless otherwise stated. The method 500 can beperformed by a lighting strobe system (e.g., the system 100 of FIG. 1,the system 200 of FIG. 4, the system 300 of FIG. 5, the system 300B ofFIGS. 6A and 6B, the system 300C of FIG. 6C, the system 400 of FIG. 7)or similar system.

In some implementations, method 500 may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuitdesigned to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operations of method 500 in response to instructions storedelectronically on an electronic storage medium. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of method 500.

An operation 510 may include detecting an intensity of ambient lightusing an ambient light sensor. An operation 520 may include detecting acolor temperature of ambient light using the ambient light sensor. Anoperation 530 may include setting an intensity of light to be emitted bya plurality of LEDs. In one example, the plurality of LEDs may compriseRGB+WW LEDs. In another example, the plurality of LEDs may comprise afirst array of LEDs and a second array of LEDs. The first array of LEDsmay comprise warm color temperature LEDs having a color temperature of2400-4000 Kelvin. The second array of LEDs may comprise cool colortemperature LEDs having a color temperature of 4000-8000 Kelvin. Anoperation 540 may include setting a color temperature of light to beemitted by the plurality of LEDs. An operation 550 may include emittinglight using the plurality of LEDs based on the set intensity and colortemperature.

The method 500 may also include adjusting the color temperature of lightto be emitted by the plurality of LEDs based on exposure data. Themethod 500 may also include adjusting the color temperature of light tobe emitted by the plurality of LEDs based on a voice command, andadjusting the intensity of light to be emitted by the plurality of LEDsbased on a voice command.

Although the present technology has been described in detail for thepurpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be themost practical and preferred implementations, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose and that the technology isnot limited to the disclosed implementations, but, on the contrary, isintended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that arewithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it isto be understood that the present technology contemplates that, to theextent possible, one or more features of any implementation can becombined with one or more features of any other implementation.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a system 600 in which the components ofthe system are in communication with each other using connection 605.Connection 605 can be a physical connection via a bus, or a directconnection into processor 610, such as in a chipset architecture.Connection 605 can also be a virtual connection, networked connection,or logical connection.

In some embodiments computing system 600 is a distributed system inwhich the functions described in this disclosure can be distributedwithin a datacenter, multiple datacenters, a peer network, etc. In someembodiments, one or more of the described system components representsmany such components each performing some or all of the function forwhich the component is described. In some embodiments, the componentscan be physical or virtual devices.

System 600 includes at least one processing unit (CPU or processor) 610and connection 605 that couples various system components includingsystem memory 615, such as read only memory (ROM) 620 and random accessmemory (RAM) 625 to processor 610. Computing system 600 can include acache 612 of high-speed memory connected directly with, in closeproximity to, or integrated as part of processor 610.

Processor 610 can include any general purpose processor and a hardwareservice or software service, such as services 632, 634, and 636 storedin storage device 630, configured to control processor 610 as well as aspecial-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporatedinto the actual processor design. Processor 610 may essentially be acompletely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores orprocessors, a bus, memory controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processormay be symmetric or asymmetric.

To enable user interaction, computing system 600 includes an inputdevice 645, which can represent any number of input mechanisms, such asa microphone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture orgraphical input, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech, etc. Computingsystem 600 can also include output device 635, which can be one or moreof a number of output mechanisms known to those of skill in the art. Insome instances, multimodal systems can enable a user to provide multipletypes of input/output to communicate with computing system 600.Computing system 600 can include communications interface 640, which cangenerally govern and manage the user input and system output. There isno restriction on operating on any particular hardware arrangement andtherefore the basic features here may easily be substituted for improvedhardware or firmware arrangements as they are developed.

Storage device 630 can be a non-volatile memory device and can be a harddisk or other types of computer readable media which can store data thatare accessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memorycards, solid state memory devices, digital versatile disks, cartridges,random access memories (RAMs), read only memory (ROM), and/or somecombination of these devices.

The storage device 630 can include software services, servers, services,etc., that when the code that defines such software is executed by theprocessor 610, it causes the system to perform a function. In someembodiments, a hardware service that performs a particular function caninclude the software component stored in a computer-readable medium inconnection with the necessary hardware components, such as processor610, connection 605, output device 635, etc., to carry out the function.

It will be appreciated that computing system 600 can have more than oneprocessor 610, or be part of a group or cluster of computing devicesnetworked together to provide greater processing capability.

For clarity of explanation, in some instances the various embodimentsmay be presented as including individual functional blocks includingfunctional blocks comprising devices, device components, steps orroutines in a method embodied in software, or combinations of hardwareand software.

In some aspects the computer-readable storage devices, mediums, andmemories can include a cable or wireless signal containing a bit streamand the like. However, when mentioned, non-transitory computer-readablestorage media expressly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals,electromagnetic waves, and signals per se.

Methods according to the above-described examples can be implementedusing computer-executable instructions that are stored or otherwiseavailable from computer readable media. Such instructions can comprise,for example, instructions and data which cause or otherwise configure ageneral purpose computer, special purpose computer, or special purposeprocessing device to perform a certain function or group of functions.Portions of computer resources used can be accessible over a network.The computer executable instructions may be, for example, binaries,intermediate format instructions such as assembly language, firmware, orsource code. Examples of computer-readable media that may be used tostore instructions, information used, and/or information created duringmethods according to described examples include magnetic or opticaldisks, flash memory, USB devices provided with non-volatile memory,networked storage devices, and so on.

Devices implementing methods according to these disclosures can comprisehardware, firmware and/or software, and can take any of a variety ofform factors. Typical examples of such form factors include laptops,smart phones, small form factor personal computers, personal digitalassistants, rackmount devices, standalone devices, and so on.Functionality described herein also can be embodied in peripherals oradd-in cards. Such functionality can also be implemented on a circuitboard among different chips or different processes executing in a singledevice, by way of further example.

The instructions, media for conveying such instructions, computingresources for executing them, and other structures for supporting suchcomputing resources are means for providing the functions described inthese disclosures.

As used herein, the term “module” may refer to any component or set ofcomponents that perform the functionality attributed to the module. Thismay include one or more physical processors during execution ofprocessor readable instructions, the processor readable instructions,circuitry, hardware, storage media, or any other components.

Although a variety of examples and other information was used to explainaspects within the scope of the appended claims, no limitation of theclaims should be implied based on particular features or arrangements insuch examples, as one of ordinary skill would be able to use theseexamples to derive a wide variety of implementations. Further andalthough some subject matter may have been described in languagespecific to examples of structural features and/or method steps, it isto be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claimsis not necessarily limited to these described features or acts. Forexample, such functionality can be distributed differently or performedin components other than those identified herein. Rather, the describedfeatures and steps are disclosed as examples of components of systemsand methods within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hard and soft light module, comprising: ahousing having a first surface, the first surface accommodating a lens;a first plurality of LEDs disposed along a periphery of the firstsurface, wherein the first plurality of LEDs are configured to generatelight in a first direction toward an edge of the lens; and a secondplurality of LEDs disposed proximate to the first surface, wherein thesecond plurality of LEDs are configured to generate light in a seconddirection through the lens.
 2. The hard and soft light module of claim1, further comprising: an ambient light sensor configured to detect atleast one of a color temperature and intensity of ambient light; aprocessor configured to: receive an output from the ambient lightsensor, the output representative of the at least one of the colortemperature and intensity of ambient light; and adjust, based on theoutput, at least one of an intensity and color temperature of the firstplurality of LEDs or the second plurality of LEDs.
 3. The hard and softlight module of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:detect an external pulse of light; and in response to the detectedexternal pulse of light, cause the first plurality of LEDs or the secondplurality of LEDs to emit a pulse of light.
 4. The hard and soft lightmodule of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive exposure data from a portable electronic device; and adjust,based on the exposure data, at least one of the color temperature andintensity of the first plurality of LEDs or the second plurality ofLEDs.
 5. The hard and soft light module of claim 2, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: receive user input from anapplication running on a portable electronic device; and adjust, basedon the user input, at least one of the color temperature and intensityof the first plurality of LEDs or the second plurality of LEDs.
 6. Thehard and soft light module of claim 2, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to: receive a voice command from a user; and adjust, based onthe voice command, at least one of the color temperature and intensityof the first plurality of LEDs or the second plurality of LEDs.
 7. Thehard and soft light module of claim 2, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to independently control a color temperature and intensity ofeach LED of the first plurality of LEDs or the second plurality of LEDs.8. The hard and soft light module of claim 1, wherein the firstplurality of LEDs are configured to emit light having a colortemperature of 2400 Kelvin to 4000 Kelvin.
 9. The hard and soft lightmodule of claim 1, wherein the second plurality of LEDs are configuredto emit light having a color temperature of 4000 Kelvin to 8000 Kelvin.10. The hard and soft light module of claim 1, wherein the firstplurality of LEDs are configured to project light at a distance of 1foot to 2 feet.
 11. The hard and soft light module of claim 1, whereinthe second plurality of LEDs are configured to project light at adistance of 6 feet to 12 feet.
 12. The hard and soft light module ofclaim 1, wherein the lens comprises a frosted lens; and wherein thefirst plurality of LEDs are disposed along a periphery of the frostedlens to illuminate the frosted lens.
 13. A method for illuminating asubject using a hard and soft light module, the method comprising:emitting light from a first plurality of LEDs disposed along a peripheryof a first surface of a housing, wherein the first surface accommodatesa lens, and wherein the first plurality of LEDs are configured togenerate light in a first direction toward an edge of the lens; andemitting light from a second plurality of LEDs disposed proximate to thefirst surface, wherein the second plurality of LEDs are configured togenerate light in a second direction through the lens.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, further comprising: detecting at least one of a colortemperature and intensity of ambient light using an ambient lightsensor; and adjusting at least one of a color temperature and intensityof light emitted by the first plurality of LEDs or the second pluralityof LEDs, based on the detected color temperature or intensity of theambient light.
 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjustingat least one of the color temperature and intensity of light emitted bythe first plurality of LEDs or the second plurality of LEDs, based onexposure data.
 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjustingat least one of the color temperature and intensity of light emitted bythe first plurality of LEDs or the second plurality of LEDs, based oncommands received from an application running on an electronic device.17. The method of claim 14, further comprising adjusting at least one ofthe color temperature and intensity of light emitted by the firstplurality of LEDs or the second plurality of LEDs based on a voicecommand.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first plurality of LEDsare configured to emit light having a color temperature of 2400 Kelvinto 4000 Kelvin; and wherein the second plurality of LEDs are configuredto emit light having a color temperature of 4000 Kelvin to 8000 Kelvin.19. The method of claim 13, wherein the first plurality of LEDs areconfigured to project light at a distance of 1 foot to 2 feet; andwherein the second plurality of LEDs are configured to project light ata distance of 6 feet to 12 feet.
 20. The method of claim 13, wherein thelens comprises a frosted lens; and wherein the first plurality of LEDsare disposed along a periphery of the frosted lens to illuminate thefrosted lens.